Father-son spat: PPP behind split in party, claims Ayaz Palijo

His father, Rasool Bux, recently parted ways with QAT

HYDERABAD: Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT) leader Ayaz Latif Palijo has blamed the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of being behind the recent split in his party. The charge was leveled in his first public reaction on Monday to his father Rasool Bux Palijo's restoration of the original party, Awami Tehreek, which will now function as a separate entity from the QAT.

The senior Palijo, in a press conference on Sunday, had censured his son for deviating from the old school ideological traits of leadership, borrowed from the communist party structure, as the reason for the separation.

"I respect Rasool Bux Palijo Sahib for being my father, mentor, for his past struggles against the One Unit system, martial law, rights of Sindh, MRD [movement for restoration of democracy], anti-Kalabagh Dam movement and the restoration of judiciary, among other issues. But at this stage, he has been surrounded by the people who have been bought off by the PPP," Ayaz alleged.

He also vowed to take the campaign against alleged corruption of the Sindh government to new heights.

He corroborated his recriminations against the alleged nexus of his father's camp and the PPP by sharing various instances when his father stopped or restricted him from anti-PPP protests.

Without naming his uncle Ghulam Qadir Palijo, who is chairman of the Thatta District Council and father of PPP Senator Sassui Palijo, he alluded to his influence on behalf of the PPP over his father's recent decision.

"After yesterday's development [split of the party], the QAT feels liberated. Now we will be free to highlight and protest against corruption, bad governance, sell-out of government jobs and state land by the Sindh government."

Justifying his assertion, Ayaz said the PPP is targeting him as he is the only Sindhi politician who speaks against the party's corruption and bad governance on the national media. "In Sindh, PPP tolerates political opposition if it's limited to clichéd statements. But it feels troubled when the words are put into actions or objective criticism," he claimed.

He said his father always objected to his interaction with leaders of other Sindhi nationalist parties, religious parties, Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf and PML-Nawaz. Ayaz invited all QAT workers and leaders who were either removed by his father or who left the party after being labelled agents of the intelligence agencies to come back.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2016.